Summer 2015 Course Descriptions
224.001: Introduction to Creative Writing
Online
Julie Shigekuni, jshig@unm.edu
This online introduction to creative writing will cover three genres: creative nonfiction, fiction, and poetry. The focus will be on inquiry and methods of investigation. We will begin by constructing a memory, which you will then recast as story, and as poetry. You will examine methods by which published authors of nonfiction, fiction, and poetry posit questions and search for answers. In turn you will experiment with elements of craft in your own writing. Coursework will consist of daily readings, online discussion, and short writing experiments.
250.001: Literary Textual Analysis
MTW 9:00-11:30
Belinda Wallace, bwallace@unm.edu
Through an examination of contemporary Caribbean women's literature, this section of English 250 will introduce students to a number of literary genres--essay, poetry, and short story--and several modes of theory and criticism--formalism, black feminist thought, and mestiza consciousness. My course is designed to introduce students to literary analysis and theory formation while promoting creative critical thinking. The Caribbean women writers we will examine include Julia Alvarez, Edwidge Danticat, and Jamaica Kincaid. These writers, among others, offer intriguing narratives which allow for complex analysis on the intersections of race, gender, class, and sexuality as we seek to understand the postcolonial Caribbean experience.
330.001: Fairy Tales & the Popular Imagination
MTWR 09:30-12:00
Sheri Karmiol, metzger@unm.edu
In his essay, "On Fairy Stories," Tolkien writes that in fairy stories there is a notion "that the life or strength of a man or creature may reside in some other place or thing; or in some part of the body (especially the heart) that can be detached and hidden." Tolkien is writing about the existence of the soul, which is separate from the corporal body, but he also claims that fairy tales are not simply for entertainment. Fairy tales feed the soul. They also explore the complexities of relationships, reveal a set of beliefs about a world that still exists within our own world today, and teach children about the possibilities of life. These are often cautionary tales of fate and fortune, stories about maturation, about danger, and about how to make good choices. Fairy tales explore the boundaries of human experience. Children are sent into dark and frightening woods, where they must conquer their fears. Women are imprisoned and must use their wits to escape, while young men are sent on impossible quests from which they emerge as victors. Fairy tales provide lessons about love between parent and child, between men and women, and between subject and ruler, but they also include stories about jealousy, death, mutilation and torture, sexual assault, child abuse, and extreme poverty. We all recognize the characters types: goblins, witches, frogs that turn into princes and princes who are really disguised frogs, wicked step-mothers, and beautiful princesses. Although many students have grown up with Walt Disney adaptations of fairy tales, this course will re-introduce students to the classic fairy tales of the Grimm Brothers, Charles Perrault, and Hans Christian Anderson. In this class we will discuss the historical construction of childhood, the purpose of children's literature, strategies for writing fairy tales, and the societal and cultural values revealed in fairy tales. Student comments on evaluations about this class: "Amazing class! Required a lot of thinking outside-the-box." "I really enjoyed modern retellings and how these stories were both intriguing and relevant." "Interesting course and the discussions were really in depth." "I only knew about Disney and learned so much much about fairy tales." "Would definitely take again." "This is the best class ever! I would take this class again if I could." Text: Tatar, The Classic Fairy Tales
352.001: Early Shakespeare
MTWRF 12:00-12:50
Carmen Nocentelli, nocent@unm.edu
Shakespeare really knew how to tell a good story, and the themes of his plays are just as relevant today as they were in the Renaissance. Join us for 8 weeks of humorous, lyrical, and often bawdy verse penned during the early part of Shakespeare's career. Plays will include The Taming of the Shrew, Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Merchant of Venice,and Hamlet.
